A nurse employed by Doctors Without Borders was among dozens of women arrested by Taliban morality police earlier this week for allegedly violating strict dress requirements.

The nurse, who works in an MSF-run paediatric ward at Herat Regional Hospital, is one of at least 30 women arrested this week for allegedly violating decrees which include having to wear a burka or chador with a face mask so that only the eyes are visible.

A spokesperson for the charity told The Telegraph she was apprehended on Saturday by officers from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice while travelling to the hospital to begin her shift.

The agency is in charge of implementing morality laws and has been frequently accused of arbitrary abuses, particularly against women and girls.

After being accused of not following the rules, the nurse was detained for two days along with her husband.

She was released on the condition she sign a document, along with her husband and other male family members, committing to abide by the dress code in future.

At least 30 other women in Herat were arrested for alleged dress code violations over the weekend. Some are still in detention, and their family members have been unable to contact them, The Telegraph understands.

Rare protests over the detainments broke out in Herat on Tuesday, which swiftly turned violent after armed guards opened fire, the UN said in a statement.

Taliban security forces killed two people, including a 14-year-old boy, while several others were injured after being beaten with sticks, the agency added.

The Taliban are now hunting down women who took part in the protests by reviewing photos and videos posted online and conducting systematic door-to-door searches across the city, sources in Herat told The Telegraph.

MSF, which runs several major healthcare facilities in Afghanistan, said: “We are outraged by the arrest and detention of one of our employees as part of the enforcement of dress code requirements in the city.

“Female staff remain central to MSF’s work in Afghanistan. MSF currently runs seven projects across seven provinces, delivering maternity, paediatric, trauma and tuberculosis care.

“Women make up 45 per cent of the nurses working for MSF in the country; in maternity-focused projects they represent more than half of the workforce and are essential to providing care in women-only clinical spaces.” 

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